A 96 MIN GOAL STUNNED BRNESC WHEN THEY LOOKED LIKE SECURING ALL THREE POINTS IN A HARD FOUGHT ENCOUNTER AT MELLING RD
BRNESC WERE ONCE AGAIN DOWN TO THE BARE BONES WITH INJURED DUO DANNY KEARNEY AND CHRIS FAGAN THE ONLY TWO SUBS AVAILABLE.
BRNESC STARTED BRIGHTLY AND AFTER 3 MINS A CROSS FROM LEE MADELOSO WAS DROPPPED BY THE KEEPER WHO GATHERED IT AT THE SE4COND ATTEMPT TO THWART THE ONRUSHING PAUL FINNAN,A MINUTE LATER DAVE WHITNEY DISPOSSED A DEFENDER AND SHOT NARROWLY WIDE FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX ,IF HE HAD COMPOSED HIMSELF AND TOOK A FURTHER TOUCH HE WOULD SURELY HAVE OPENED THE SCORING.
AGOOD MOVE INVOLVING JAY HULME ,DAVE WHIT AND FINN ENDED WITH A FOUL ON FINN ON THE EDGE OF THE BOX THE FREE KICK HITTING THE WALL.OLD HOLTS FIRST MEANINGFUL FORAY INTO BRNESC HALF ENDED WITH MATTY GATHERING THE BALL AT THE FEET OF A FORWARD AFTER THE BALL HAD PINGED AROUNDTHE PENALTY AREA.BRNESCREPLIED WITH JOE STEPHENS NARROWLY DRIVING WIDEAND LIAM ODONOVAN HITTING A FREE KICK JUST OVER THE BAR
IN THE 26 MIN ANOTHER FREEKICK BY LIAM WAS MISSED BY THE DEFENDER AND FINN COULD ONLY SLICE HIS VOLLEY WIDEWHIT THEN CROSSED FROMTHE RIGHT AND WHEN FINN CHALLENGED FOR THE BALL IT FELL TO JAY WHO VOLLEYED INCHES WIDE FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX
BRNESC WERE ON TOP BUT OLD HOLTS HAD PLAYED THEIR PART IN A ENTERTAINING GAME AND THE CENTRE BACK DUO OF CHRIS BELL AND LIAM ODONOVAN HAD STOOD FIRM AND REPULSED ALL THAT OLD HOLTS HAD THROWN AT THEM,
IN THE 40TH MINUTE WHIT SCORED FOR BRNESC WHWN PRESSURE ON THE BALL BY JAY AND JOE STEPHENS ENABLED HIM TO GATHER THE BALL ON THE EDGE OF THE BOX AND BAMBOOZLE TWO DEFE3NDERRS BEFORE DRIVING A FEROCIOUS SHOT ACROSS THE KEEPER INTO THE FAR CORNER FOR A DESERVED LEAD.A MINUTE LATER A CLSEVER CHIP FROM SIMMO INTO THE BOX LEFT ACE MARKSMAN FINN WITH A CHANCE FOR HIS 14 TH OF THE SEASON BUT HIS ATTEMPTED VOLLEY ONLY CONNECTED WIYH FRESH AIR HAS HE MISSED THE BALL COMPLETELY. 1 0 BRNESC AT THE HALF TIME WHIST
BRNESC STARTED THE SECOND HALF AS THEY HAD STARTED THE FIRST ON THE ATTACK AND A STROMG RUN BY WHIT WAS BLOCKED BY A DESPERSTE TAVKLE TO PREVENT HIM MAKING IT 2 0.
THE TWO SUBS WHO HAD COME ON CHRIS FAGAN AND DANNY KEARNEY THEN COMBINED TO SET UP FINN WHOSE GOALBOUND SHOT WAS DEFLECTED FOR A CORNER
AFTER BEING ON THE PITCH FOR 15 MINS CHRIS FAGAN WAS SENT OFF ,ALONG WITH A OLD HOLTS PLAYER FOR FIGHTING.HE HAD TO GO ,HE RAISED HIS HANDS TO A OPPONENT BUT AT THE TIME HA WAS WALKING AWAY FROM THE INCIDENT AND THE HOLTS PLAYER STRUCK HIM FROM BEHIND AND CHRIS AUTOMATICALLY DEFENDED HIMSELF BUT THE STRICT LETTER OF THE LAW STATES THAT IF YOU RISE YOUR HANDS TO A OPPONENT YOU WALK.
BRNESC CONTINUEDV TO HAVE THE BETTER CHANCES ,OLD HOLTS ALSO HAD LESS CLEAER CUT CHANCES BUT MATTY ,CHRIS BELL AND LIAM CLEARED ALL DANGER
AS THE GAME ENTERED ITS FINAL QUARTER BRNESC HAD CHANCES TO MAKE THE GAME SAFE ,FINN FLICKED A FREE KICK ON TO JOE STEPHENS WHOSE HEAVY TOUCH TOOK IT OUT FOR A GOAL KICK WHEN A BETTER TOUCH WOULD HAVE LEFT HIM WITH ONLY THE KEEPER TO BEAT,FINN WAS THEN PLAYED IN BUT ONCE AGAIN POOR CONTROL LET HIM DOWN.DANNY THEN BROKE BUT THE KEEPER FORCED HIM OUT TO THRE CORNER FLAG AND HE DELAYED HIS CROSS AND IT EVENTULLY WENT OUT FOR A GOAL KICK
THE GAME HAD INCREDIBELY REACHED ITS 96 MINUTE WHEN OLD HOLTS EQUALISWD .WHIT BROKE INTO THE OLD HOLTS HALF AND SPED TOWARDS GOAL HE HAD THRERE OPTIONS ,HESDV FOR GOAL ,HOLD IT AND PLAY IN DANNY TO HIS LEFT ,GO TO THR CORNER .HE CHOSE THE LAST ONE AND WENT TO THE CORNER TO RUN DOWN TIME.IF YOU DO THIS YOU HAVE TO GET THE CORNER OR A TRROW WHIT ENDED UP PUTTING THE BALL OUT FOR A GOAL KICK FROM WHICH HOLTS GATHERED POSSESSION AND SPEED DOWN THE LEFT PAST A HALF HEARETED CHALLENGE THE BALL EAS PLAYED INTO THE BOX 1 1 20SECONDA LATER THE FINAL WHISTLE WENT!!!
LATE GOALS AGAINST ALUMNI ,WATERLOO GSOB AND AFC LIVERPOOL HAVE BEEN OUR ACHILLES HEEL WE MUST KEEP CONCENTRATION FOR THE LENGTH OF THE GAME,ON BALANCE OF PLAY A DRAW MAY WELL HAVE BEEN A FAIR RESULT BUT BRNESC HAD THE FAR BETTER CHANCES AND SHOULD REALLY HAVE SCORED MORE THAN ONE
THER WERE A NUMBER OF CANDIDATES FOR MOM CHRIS BELL AGAIN ,.LIAM .,FINN JAY BUT BY A SHORT HEAD IT WAS LIAM WHO WAS STRONG AND RESOLUTE THROUGHOUT.
